Arthritis — about 100 conditions affecting the joints and the tissues around them — is a leading cause of activity limitation, disability and chronic pain. Adults with arthritis have high rates of anxiety and depression, and in 2015 they received 55.3 percent of all prescription opioids dispensed in the United States. Combined 2019–2021 survey data show how many Americans have it: an estimated 53.2 million adults, or 21.2 percent (18.7 percent after adjusting for age).
Who has it
National Health Interview Survey respondents counted as having arthritis if a doctor or other health professional had ever told them they had arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia.
| Group (age-standardized unless noted) | With arthritis |
|---|---|
| Women | 20.9% |
| Men | 16.3% |
| Veterans | 24.2% |
| Nonveterans | 18.5% |
| White, non-Hispanic | 20.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.7% |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 10.3% |
| Unable to work or disabled | 40.9% |
| Poor or near poor | 25.1% |
| High income | 15.7% |
| College graduates | 15.3% |
| Ages 18–44 (unadjusted) | 5.4% |
| Ages 45–64 (unadjusted) | 26.0% |
| Ages 65 and older (unadjusted) | 47.3% |
Adults 45 and older make up 88.3 percent of all adults with arthritis: 48.3 percent (25.7 million) are 65 or older and 40.0 percent (21.3 million) are 45 to 64.
Arthritis alongside other diseases
Arthritis among adults with selected chronic conditions, by age group, 2019–2021. Credit: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
| Adults with… | Share who also have arthritis | Number |
|---|---|---|
| COPD | 57.6% | 6.8 million |
| Dementia | 55.9% | 1.4 million |
| A disability | 54.8% | — |
| Stroke | 52.6% | 3.7 million |
| Heart disease | 51.5% | 8.2 million |
| Diabetes | 43.1% | 10.2 million |
| Cancer | 43.1% | 8.3 million |
Among adults 65 and older, about half of those with COPD (62.4%), stroke (57.9%), heart disease (57.4%), obesity (56.8%), dementia (56.1%), diabetes (54.0%) or cancer (52.2%) also had arthritis. (Nearly half of respondents with dementia answered through a proxy, which makes that figure less certain.)
A new baseline
The estimate is lower than the 2016–2018 figure of 58.5 million (23.7 percent), but the survey was redesigned in 2019, reordering and dropping some questions about arthritis. The two should be treated as separate estimates rather than compared; 2019–2021 is the new baseline.
What helps
Physical activity eases arthritis pain and improves function, yet many adults, including those with arthritis, do not meet the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines: 150–300 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75–150 of vigorous activity, plus muscle strengthening at least twice a week, and for people 65 and older, balance training as well. Anyone who cannot meet those targets should be as active as their health allows. A healthy weight, enough activity and avoiding joint injury help prevent arthritis.
CDC's Arthritis Management and Wellbeing Program recognizes community-based, evidence-based programs suited to people with arthritis, and funds national and state organizations to make them more available and to help health care providers screen for physical activity, counsel, and refer. A provider's recommendation makes adults with arthritis more likely to join such programs.
Limits
The data are self-reported and cross-sectional, may be affected by recall and proxy answers, miss undiagnosed arthritis, cannot separate types of arthritis, and span a pandemic that changed how the survey was conducted and how people used health care.
Sources
Based on "Prevalence of Diagnosed Arthritis — United States, 2019–2021," by Elizabeth A. Fallon and colleagues, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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